Redskins Tried To Claim Desmond Harrison
The Redskins placed a claim on tackle Desmond Harrison, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ultimately, Harrison went to the Cardinals, who had top priority when the Browns cut him loose. 
It’s potentially a sign that the Redskins are concerned about Trent Williams‘ holdout and also an indication that they are eager to bolster their offensive line depth. For example, the Redskins want to use former Giants first round pick Ereck Flowers at left guard, but he has been practicing mostly at tackle due to Williams’ absence and a lack of other available options.
Harrison started in the first eight games of the season for the Browns before losing his gig to Greg Robinson, so it was widely expected that several teams would try and grab the 25-year-old. It’s possible that other clubs were warded off by Harrison’s reported absence and tardiness to team functions this offseason, but there could have also been issues with his game tape. Despite being a first-stringer in the first half of the 2018 campaign, Harrison graded out as just the No. 67 ranked tackle in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/19
On one end of the Thursday transactions: Carson Wentz. On the other: today’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: T Andrew Lauderdale
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: T Ka’John Armstrong
Detroit Lions
- Waived: WR Jordan Smallwood
Washington Redskins
- Waived: TE Manasseh Garner
Redskins Sign Terry McLaurin
The Redskins have officially wrapped up their 2019 NFL Draft class. On Thursday, the club announced the signing of third-round wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin’s 35 catches for 701 yards last year don’t necessarily jump off of the page, but he proved to have a presence in the red zone with eleven touchdowns. After selecting Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the first round, the Redskins are hopeful they can keep the chemistry going at the pro level. For now, he projects to sit somewhere behind Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, Trey Quinn, and Cam Sims on the wide receiver depth chart. Fellow rookie receiver Kelvin Harmon will also battle for playing time, but McLaurin’s special teams acumen should work in his favor.
Here’s the full rundown of the Redskins’ draft class, courtesy of PFR’s tracker:
- 1-15: Dwayne Haskins, QB (Ohio State): Signed
- 1-26: Montez Sweat, DE (Mississippi State): Signed
- 3-76: Terry McLaurin, WR (Ohio State): Signed
- 4-112: Bryce Love, RB (Stanford): Signed
- 4-131: Wes Martin, G (Indiana): Signed
- 5-153: Ross Pierschbacher, C (Alabama): Signed
- 5-173: Cole Holcomb, LB (North Carolina): Signed
- 6-206: Kelvin Harmon, WR (North Carolina State): Signed
- 7-227: Jimmy Moreland, CB (James Madison): Signed
- 7-253: Jordan Brailford, DE (Oklahoma State): Signed
Latest On Alex Smith, Trent Williams
Essentially ruled out for 2019 before the Redskins selected Dwayne Haskins in the first round, Alex Smith will be set for at least one more surgery. The 35-year-old quarterback must wear an external fixator on his broken leg for at least another month, Jay Gruden said (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter). Smith was initially spotted equipped with this apparatus nearly five months ago. Its removal will mean another operation. The 14-year veteran underwent upwards of six procedures on his injury leg, and it is obviously uncertain the quarterback will play again. Smith is under Redskins contract through the 2022 season.
Moving to another Redskins cog with a cloudy future with the team, here is the latest news out of the NFC East:
- Trent Williams is believed to want out of Washington. Earlier this year, Williams had a tumor (or a similar growth) removed from his head. The 10th-year left tackle has expressed hard feelings toward the Redskins for their handling of this matter, but he is not staying away from the team only because of hard feelings. Gruden said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk) his longest-tenured player would not be able to practice anyway because of the recovery from the aforementioned operation. Williams rehabbed a damaged kneecap throughout the 2018 offseason and is entering his age-31 season.
Redskins’ Trent Williams Wants Out
Typically, player holdouts stem from a desire to secure a new contract. That’s not the case for Redskins left tackle Trent Williams, however. The veteran has told teammates that he has demanded a trade or release due to their handling of his recent medical situation, according to sources who spoke with Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Furthermore, Williams has vowed to not play for the Redskins, meaning that this saga could drag on if he is not traded this summer. 
Earlier this year, Williams had a tumor (or a similar growth) removed from his head. Fortunately, Williams is now healthy and is expected to be able to play this season. However, for reasons that are currently unclear, the situation caused friction between the lifelong Redskin and the organization.
For now, Williams is under contract with the Redskins for another two years and is owed $24MM between now and the end of the 2020 season. Despite his injuries, that deal borders on being team-friendly, so there could be a ripe market for the soon-to-be 31-year-old.
Redskins’ Trent Williams Wants New Deal
Redskins tackle Trent Williams skipped the start of the Redskins’ mandatory minicamp in an effort to land a new deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Williams is owed $24MM over the next two years, but wants a better deal now that the market has shifted. 
At the time of signing, Williams’ current deal positioned him as the highest-paid tackle in the NFL, edging Cowboys lineman Tyron Smith. Today, the deal positions him as the sixth-highest paid tackle in the league, thanks in part to recent deals for Trent Brown, Taylor Lewan, and Nate Solder that are worth at least $15.5MM per season.
Williams has missed 13 games over the last three seasons due to various issues, but He still stands as one of the better left tackles in the NFL. He graded out as the league’s best overall tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and managed to place No. 21 in a down 2018.
In other Redskins news, the team is reportedly planning to stick with cornerback Josh Norman, despite the savings that would come with releasing him.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/3/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Jason Thompson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Chaz Green
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Brandon Reilly
- Waived: LB Juwon Young
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Fred Trevillion
- Waived/Injured: WR Trevion Thompson
Washington Redskins
- Signed: T Blake Hance
Redskins Not Discussing Josh Norman Cut
- While Josh Norman has not lived up to the contract that pays him $15MM per year, the Redskins do not appear to be planning anything radical regarding his employment. The team has not engaged in discussions on a possible post-June 1 Norman release, J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington writes. Washington would save $11MM by cutting the 31-year-old cornerback, who graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 50 corner last season, but old-school post-June 1 releases do not occur often anymore. The Redskins’ corner corps would obviously take a hit without Norman. Two seasons remain on Norman’s deal.
Poll: Which Team’s New QB Will Have Best Season?
While this offseason did not bring quite the same level of quarterback movement 2018’s did, a handful of teams will deploy new starters. Draft choices, trade acquisitions and free agent signings will be given the keys to offenses that struggled last season.
The Broncos, Cardinals, Dolphins, Jaguars and Redskins made moves to fortify their quarterback jobs. Which team’s investment will work out best?
Denver will use a different starting quarterback for the third straight year. Joe Flacco is set to be the Broncos’ fourth starter since Peyton Manning‘s retirement. While his QBR figure (58.7) was better than any the former Ravens starter had posted since a quality 2014 season, Flacco still ranked 20th in that metric last season. Having never made a Pro Bowl and fresh off back-to-back years featuring injury trouble, with a back problem limiting him during the 2017 offseason and a hip injury beginning the Lamar Jackson era, the 34-year-old starter will try to revive his career in Denver. Flacco, though, is the most accomplished quarterback the Broncos have employed since Manning.
The other surefire veteran starter acquired this year, Foles will have his first chance to be a team’s unquestioned first-stringer since 2015. The 30-year-old flourished in his second Philadelphia stint, submitting an all-time postseason run in 2017 and helping the Eagles back to the playoffs last season. A 2013 Pro Bowler, Foles will take over a Jaguars team that does not possess the kind of aerial weaponry recent Eagles rosters did. Jacksonville is in line to have Marqise Lee back from a torn ACL, but the team’s wideouts and tight ends will place additional emphasis on Foles living up to his contract. With the Rams in 2015, Foles threw seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions before being benched.
Kyler Murray represents the other locked-in starter added this offseason. The electric one-year Oklahoma starter accomplished about as much as a college passer can in a single season, turning in Division I-FBS’ second-ever 4,000-1,000 season en route to Heisman Trophy honors. Working with Kliff Kingsbury, Larry Fitzgerald and a host of young wide receivers, Murray is the centerpiece of one of the most daring experiments an NFL team has attempted.
The Cardinals turned the keys over to a sub-.500 college coach and a 5-foot-10 signal-caller — the first sub-6-foot passer to be chosen in Round 1. Arizona trotted out the league’s worst scoring and total offense last season, however, and sported a skeleton-crew offensive line by year’s end. The Cards added new starters Marcus Gilbert and J.R. Sweezy up front. Due to the lack of precedent behind this move, it is hard to tell how Murray will fare. But the unique talent has opened as Las Vegas’ offensive rookie of the year favorite.
Washington and Miami have not committed to a starting quarterback yet, but it is fairly safe to project Dwayne Haskins and Josh Rosen will see extensive time. While Case Keenum and Ryan Fitzpatrick could log starts, with the latter possibly even on track to do so, the Redskins have liked what their first-round pick has done so far and the Dolphins will need to see Rosen in games to help determine if they will consider a first-round QB in 2020. On the heels of a 50-touchdown pass season, the Ohio State product sits second in offensive rookie of the year odds. Although only eight passers have won this award since 1957, seven such instances have occurred since 2004.
Both Daniel Jones and Drew Lock could factor into their respective teams’ mixes later in the season. Of the 13 first-round QBs taken over the past four years, only Patrick Mahomes and Paxton Lynch were not promoted to the starting role as rookies. (Though, Eli Manning is not your typical stopgap.) Lock was projected by most as a first-rounder, and Flacco ceded his role to the No. 32 overall pick last year. So the 12th-year veteran’s grip on Denver’s job should be considered tenuous.
Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
New Poll
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Nick Foles 28% (407)
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Joe Flacco 24% (348)
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Kyler Murray 14% (196)
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Dwayne Haskins 14% (194)
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Josh Rosen 11% (151)
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Ryan Fitzpatrick 3% (44)
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Daniel Jones 2% (32)
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Drew Lock 2% (31)
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Case Keenum 2% (26)
Total votes: 1,429
Latest On Redskins LB Reuben Foster
Reuben Foster is already on the recovery trail. Two weeks after being carted off of the Redskins’ practice field with an air cast on his left leg, the linebacker underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
It was initially thought that Foster had suffered a torn ACL. That ended up being the case, but Rapoport notes that the 25-year-old also suffered a torn LCL. Fortunately, Foster is already raising his leg, and he’s expected to be fully recovered for the 2020 campaign. While the player’s outlook is promising, it’s obviously disappointing that Foster will be forced to sit out the entire 2019 season.
The 2017 first-round pick is one of the most talented linebackers in the NFL. However, he’s also one of the league’s most controversial players due to his off-the-field transgressions. The 49ers dropped him following two separate allegations of domestic violence, and the Redskins subsequently shocked many in the football world by claiming him off waivers.
The remaining guarantees in Foster’s contract have been voided due to those off-the-field issues, but the Redskins will be responsible for his salary since he’s sitting on the IR. The linebacker has one year remaining on his rookie contract, though the Redskins have a fifth-year option decision to make by May 2020.
The Redskins released Zach Brown this offseason, leaving them with mostly late-round picks at this position. Shaun Dion Hamilton (2018 sixth round), Josh Harvey-Clemons (2017 seventh round) and rookie fifth-round pick Cole Holcomb reside on Washington’s roster. The team also added veteran Jon Bostic last week.